Starting a campaign off

[Rapida]

Hello all, my group is gonna finish up letting one of the other players dming then it is my turn again. I have a (semi) unique ideal to start the game off. It will be about 100 years prior to the actual characters the people will be playing. The players will be playing guards escorting a caravan to a nearby city that has been hit by a plague(sp?). On the way there they get attacked by a hobgoblin band led by Bargoth the Bloody, a half-fiendish fighter type person. They get killed and then the characters will enter (100 years later) and find Bargoth's tomb. He will be undead and they will get to kill him. Bargoth's sword is cursed and slowly turns the wielder into an evil half fiend. So they find the sword and they need to get it destroyed.

I want them to meet a few unique npcs on the caravan and I was wondering if you guys could assist me with writing some of them up. The caravan is transporting the only cure for the plague and it never makes it because bargoth. I want to stat a few of the people on the caravan and somehow link them to the player's characters. Like I was thinking a paladin is traveling with the group and is going to the town (needs a name) to save his wife and kid. The kid will be one of the player's fathers. And just stuff like that. I just can't think of enough ways to link the groups. I might change the raiders into orcs so if there is a half-orc one of them could be related or something. Anyway I really need some help, so lets make a brainstorm. I will post my thoughts more coherently later on in this thread.

 

[Blade of Desecration]

Perhaps a wizard in the group trained one of the PCs or their relatives. Or one of the guards is the grandfather of the PC of the player playing the guard (hope that made sense).
Anyways, nice way to start off a campaign.

 

[Nightcloak]

Great concept. I like the idea of the players having a personal conection to the tomd they will later raid. I love that angle.

I'll contribute when I have more time. Off to work...

 

[Rapida]

Bargoth’s Bloody Band

First in Command: Bargoth the Bloody: Half-Fiend Human Fighter 6

Second in Command: Gulthar Highpockets: Tiefling Rogue 4

Third in Command: Culdun the Wise: Human Cleric 3

Grunts: 20 Hobgoblins (10 wield bows and start ambushes, 10 charge with melee weapons of some type)

Bargoth the Bloody was a respected warrior who went by another long forgotten name, before his companions and he came upon a cursed sword in a dwarven crypt. Bargoth alone came out from those dangerous depths, but not a one of his fellow companions fell to the monsters or traps of the crypt. Bargoth killed them in their sleep and fled with their treasure. He was a haunted man ever since and soon the sword, Devil’s Tongue, had tainted him into something inhuman. He grew to love murder and chaos and started a very successful band of thieves and thugs. Bargoth was last seen some 75 years ago when he was rumored to have been killed by his second in command Gulthar.

Gulthar Highpockets joined Bargoth’s Bloody Band and quickly escalated through the ranks, sometimes by the blade of a dagger in the back of another. Bargoth soon came to respect the merciless tiefling and let him take second in command. That became Bargoth’s undoing. Gulthar slipped a dagger in his back while the band was exploring an abandoned monk monastery. Gulthar fled leaving nothing behind but the sword Devil’s Tongue, knowing it was cursed. Gulthar is still alive today, albeit barely he is an ancient looking tiefling still living in Saltmarsh. He doesn’t do much more than stay around his home on the edge of town.

 

[themind]

Very interesting idea. Can't wiat to hear how it works out.

 

[Mr_GrinReaper]

Sweet,

I dunno if you had already thought of it, but maybe Gulthar might be the one too ask the group to investigate the tomb?

Also that could lead the PC's into research about the backstory behind Gulthar and Bargoth being connected.

Well the caravan would have to have characters in it who corespond to the PC's characters.. Do you know what they are? or are they not built yet. When they build them would be a good time to decide what the npc's are, maybe by brainstorming beforehand or just winging it.

lol. Pfft/ ^^

~
Mr.GrinReaper

 

[Rapida]

Hey I hadn't thought of that. I know they are gonna take shelter in a tomb to get away from a terrible lightning storm. That tomb will be the tomb of Culdun, who I plan to have killed in the attack on the caravan. So getting Gulthar to ask them about searching for Bargoth's resting place will link quite nicely. I will ask them about what they want to play, probaly limiting them to core only unlesss they roleplay particularly well they aren't gonna be able to PrC

 

[Rapida]

Here are three of the four characters the players will take over for a short time. If you decide to submit anyone please just use something like this, you can fully stat them if you feel the need or just give me basic levels and race.

Fredrick Widebottom is a halfling cook of some skill. He has traveled with the Band of the Glowing Shield for at least 15 years. He isn’t much of a fighter but joins in if the caravan is attacked. He joined the mercenary band at the tender age of 36 and hasn’t regretted it since then. He is good friends with the leader of the band and sometimes acts as an advisor on what jobs to take.
Info: Player will be playing Fredrick. He is an expert 4.

Lathrop the Holy is a human priest of Pelor traveling to the town of Firethorne because of the plague. He joined this caravan knowing it is carrying the much needed medicine to cure the plague and save hundred of lives. He is only hoping to save a few of the people in both body and soul.
Info: Player will be playing Lathrop. He is a adept 3.

Corwin Precter is a guardsman for the Band of the Glowing Shield, he has been with the band for almost 3 years. He plans on one day starting his own band of mercenaries but at the moment he is content to follow the lead of Arthur Caldorn the leader of the mercenaries. He is well known for his ability to spot trouble before it happens.
Info: Player will be playing Corwin. He is a warrior 4 with alertness.

 

[Blade of Desecration]

Suggestion:
A young, somewhat naive paladin (use some name you think of) level two. Was asked by his church to safeguard the cure, and use his detect evil to spot possible sources of trouble. I suggested level two as opposed to three or four because it is a PC class, and as such is slightly more powerful. The CR balances out though.

By the way, I love the idea, and wish you the best of luck with it.

 

[Nightcloak]

Second campaign of yours we need to hear more about.

Where are you at? This story sounds like it is going to be a blast.